But although he grew up in the wagon seat, nothing prepared the 21-year-old from Alberta, Canada, for driving in the races at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

Where Flad lives, chuck wagon racing means full-sized thoroughbreds run on outdoor tracks. The thoroughbred cross ponies used in Fort Worth races are smaller, as are the wagons.

So racing at the indoor Will Rogers Coliseum means hair-pin turns, split-second reactions and stone-faced concentration.

“There’s less room for error,” said Flad, who is in his first year racing in the Fort Worth rodeo. “The big thing is developing my driving skills. If one little thing goes wrong, you have to adjust.

“There are so many different factors. It’s definitely not what I’m used to.”

Flad and a first-ever female driver, Amber L’Heureux, 20, are the rookies this year. They compete alongside a group of veteran Canadians who relocate to Fort Worth for the stock show and compete in 29 rodeo performances. The Stock Show runs through Saturday.

The races, which are part of the stock show’s paid entertainment, have been a part of the rodeo since 1989. Stock show officials said the racing is one of the most popular rodeo events because it is entertaining and unpredictable.

“Through the years, we’ve had a few wrecks,” said Brad Barnes, the stock show’s president and general manager. “It’s a horse race. It’s dangerous. They’re going at a high rate of speed and it’s a small arena.”

The roughly two-minute races can reach top speeds of 30 mph as drivers try to outpace one another around barrels while guiding a team of four horses pulling a chuck wagon.

‘Pay attention’

Before each race, the drivers meticulously prepare and inspect their horses, reins and wagons under the watchful eyes of Dennis MacGillivray, a former Canadian professional chuck wagon racer who organizes the event.

MacGillivray expects rookies and veterans alike to keep their wits about them.

Because each time a streaming team of horses takes to the brightly lit arena floor, it’s anybody’s game. But they still have to watch out for one another.

“You’ve got to pay attention out there,” he said. “Anyone who tells you that they don’t get nervous isn’t taking it seriously.”

As in most rodeo events, all the preparation in the world can’t account for a horse that won’t cooperate or one that rubs off its bridle right before entering the ring.

The races — which are run in three heats featuring pairs of competing drivers — are highly charged. As the wagons dig through corners, wheels churning and spewing dirt, the crowd grows more frenzied, cheering on their favorite rigs.

Agility, dexterity, grit and balance are required. Posture varies as some drivers hunch their shoulders out in front of them while others stand, placing all of their weight on one leg.

Maneuvering is tight. Tangled lines have to be sorted out quickly. And although they’re not being judged and the crowd cheers either way, knocking over a barrel isn’t something they take lightly.

“It was an eye-opener at first,” said L’Heureux, the youngest of the group who comes from Glaslyn, Saskatchewan. “I’m still making mistakes out there. It’s given me a lot of time to think about being a stronger driver and ‘manning up.’”

Mostly for exhibition

L’Heureux is on display at each performance as rodeo announcer Bob Tallman calls out to the crowd: “Folks, I got a lady driver for you this year.”

She makes her own nod to femininity in the male-dominated group with her pink racing helmet and spangled belt. But she said that while she appreciates the opportunity to call attention to females in the sport, she mostly just wants to race well.

“It was about proving to everyone that I was strong enough to do it,” she said. “The spotlight is on me here, but so is the pressure. You have to be able to drive like one of the guys.”

Credibility is important, all the drivers said, because the crew brings the Western authenticity of Canada with them when they race. Chuck wagon racing has its own racing circuits in Canada and races at the annual Calgary Stampede are a popular draw.

Chuck wagon racing in the United States is mostly for exhibition. Certain rodeos, like Fort Worth and Houston, feature the racing as a nod to rodeo heritage.

“This is a lot of work for them,” Barnes said of the racing crew. “All of that is hauled a long distance and they don’t take it lightly.”

The competitors said the thrill of the race and the roar of the spectators makes it all worth it.

“When I was out there the other night and I heard that crowd, it was great,” said Warren Burns, of Melfort, Saskatchewan. “When people appreciate what you’re doing, it brings you back again.”

Laurie Fox is an Arlington-based freelance writer. She can be reached at laurie-fox@sbcglobal.net